In August, a high school secretary in another state was busted for spending more than $6,200 in school funds on items for her personal use.
Among the items she supposedly purchased were ceiling fans, a washer and dryer, a computer, flowers, a men’s sweater and a wicker hamper, according to a report published in a local newspaper. The purchases were made using a school-issued charge card, the newspaper reported.
This comes at a time when the school district has laid off many employees due to budget shortfalls.
Following this discovery, school officials say they’re working to improve oversight of charge card spending.
This story caught my eye because, in April, my office took the initiative to begin posting state government charge card spending on the Web. In addition to state agencies, we also post details of charge card spending by state-supported colleges and universities. The charge card reports are posted on the Web monthly, and can be viewed by visiting cg.sc.gov and clicking on the words "State Government Spending Transparency" on the left-hand side of the page.
The goal was to increase transparency by giving taxpayers easy, click-of-a-mouse access to details about how public funds are used. When spending is done in the open, public officials are more accountable, there’s less opportunity for unauthorized purchases, and the taxpayers are given the peace of mind that they can see how their hard-earned dollars are being spent.
Over the past few years, I’ve worked hard to be a part of a growing movement to make government spending details more easily available to the public. Unfortunately, this is the type of government reform that often meets with strong resistance from the "business as usual" crowd in government.
As I’ve spoken with government officials across the state about the benefits of financial transparency, one argument I repeatedly hear is that putting spending details online would be too costly or too time-consuming. I disagree, and in fact, I’d offer that putting all spending details on the Internet can actually result in a cost-savings.
Case in point: Had this particular school district posted its charge card spending online, and these spending decisions been subject to review by thousands of sets of eyes, perhaps this school district wouldn’t be out thousands of dollars right now.
Spending transparency isn’t a Republican or a Democratic issue. It’s not the province of the political "right" or "left." It’s simply good government. Shining a light on public spending reduces the probability of wasteful or improper spending, which benefits everyone.
